Gena Lee Nolin was born in the intellectual capital of the Midwest, Duluth, Minnesota. When she was a senior in high school her family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where not too long after, Gena Lee entered a beauty pageant and earned herself the title of "Miss Las Vegas." She also had the honor of winning the "Look of the Year" award from the prestigious Elite and Ford modeling agencies, as well as the "Miss Barbizon USA" title.

After that she then moved to Los Angeles where she got a job as a showcase model on the popular game show "The Price is Right." In 1995 Gena Lee landed the role of "conniving beauty" Neely Capshaw on the long running "Baywatch" TV series. She was on the series from 1995-1998. In 2000 she starred in the fantasy TV series Sheena. The series was a huge success from 2000-2002. In December 2001, Gena Lee graced the cover and pages of Playboy in a celebrity pictorial.